Social science help | BEHS 220 Diversity Awareness | University of Maryland Baltimore

Throughout this course, we have examined a variety of different dimensions of diversity, how diversity is represented, what role intersectionality and privilege play in creating and maintaining bias and discrimination, and how we learn our “single stories” about diversity. This final project in the course will require you to bring all of these ideas together as you analyze representations of diversity in the media.

On the Week 2 Assignment, you identified a fiction book, TV episode, or movie that you have recently read or watched and did an initial analysis of the representations of diversity in it. On the Week 4 Assignment, you identified two scholarly sources to help you extend your analysis of the work you chose. In this assignment, you will build on those two assignments to complete your analysis of diverse representations in your chosen work.

For this assignment, you will take as your starting point the conclusion you came to on your Week 2 assignment: does this work provide a positive representation of diversity? You can maintain the position you took at the end of your Week 2 assignment or contradict it. You will then provide evidence from the work and from 
at least 5 scholarly or credible resources, including the two scholarly sources you identified on your Week 4 assignment (the remainder can be course materials) to support your thesis. Please be sure to do the following:

1. Provide an introduction that includes the author and title of the fiction book, name of episode and name of TV show, or the title of the movie that you chose, as well as a thesis that tells the reader whether you think this work provides a positive representation of diversity.

2. Discuss whether you think the cast of characters in this book, episode, or movie is diverse. To back up your discussion, identify 3 characters from the work and do the following for each:

a. Provide a brief (1-paragraph) description of the character, including what they do for a living, relationship status, role in the work (main character, minor character, comic relief, etc.), and anything else you think is important in understanding the character.

b. Is the portrayal of the character stereotypical? Why or why not? Provide specific examples from their dialogue or actions.

c. Does the character have privilege and in what circumstances? Provide specific examples from their dialogue or actions.

d. Is this a positive representation of the group(s) that the character represents? Why or why not? Provide specific examples from their dialogue or actions.

3. Taking a step back, consider who 
isn’t represented in this work. Do you think this/these groups were left out intentionally? In other words, would it affect the story to include them?

4. If you were the author of this work (i.e., book author, movie creator, TV show writer), how could you improve diversity in this book/TV show/movie? Provide two concrete examples. What implications would these changes have for consumers of this media?

5. Finally, consider why representation of diverse groups is important. Draw on your resources to construct an argument for greater inclusion in the media and in two other areas of life (e.g., the workplace, education, healthcare, government).  

6. In your conclusion, reiterate your thesis statement and summarize the main points of your paper.

Essay Formatting:

· The essay should be 1000-1500 words long and double-spaced with 1-inch margins.

· Use and cite 
at least 5 resources, including two from your own research. The remainder may be required resources from any of the weeks in this course. You may also use additional scholarly or credible sources.

· Use in-text citations in APA (American Psychological Association) style.

· Record all source documents cited in a references list at the end of your paper, also in APA format. Follow bibliographic formatting as shown in UMGC’s 

Online Guide to Writing and Research
 (

https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/online-guide-to-writing/index.cfm
)

· Be sure to include a cover page with your name, the date, and the assignment topic on your paper.